1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning and lubricating drive chains.
2. The Prior Art
The service life of drive chains for motorcycles, agricultural machines and the like substantially depends on the maintenance and cleaning during operation. Small foreign bodies such as sand or the like which adhere to the links of the drive chain considerably reduce the service life. That is why regular maintenance and cleaning of the drive chains is important. The cleaning process with currently known apparatuses, however, is very difficult and generally connected with a considerable pollution to the ambient environment and the adjacent components.
DE 38 39 076 A discloses a device for cleaning and drying chains for racing bicycles which includes a two-part housing through which the chain is guided. Wheels with bristles are arranged in the housing which, on the one hand, mechanically clean the chain and, on the other hand, deflect it into the lower region of the housing. A trough is formed in the lower region of the housing which can receive a cleaning medium. The chain is cleaned by the immersion in the cleaning medium. Depending on the tension of the chain, the deflection of the chain requires a relatively large force which must be absorbed by the device. Moreover, a further disadvantage of this known solution is that the dirt detaching from chain accumulates in the trough and can partly end up back on the chain again. Moreover, the inner side of the chain whose cleaning and lubrication is particularly critical is disadvantaged in this method.
An apparatus for cleaning and lubricating bicycle chains is further disclosed in GB 20 597 A. The chain to be cleaned is guided past a small wheel which is immersed in the trough which contains a lubricant. The lubricant is applied to the chain by the rotation of the wheel. The cleaning effect of such an apparatus is extremely limited, because only very coarse dirt adhering to the chain can be stripped off.
An apparatus for lubricating and cleaning chains and rails is further known from EP 0 599 087 A. Several shoe-like modules are connected successively which enclose the chain to be cleaned on three sides and are provided with brushes and cleaning nozzles. Since this system is downwardly open it can only be used in a workshop or the like where a considerable pollution of the environment with dirt is tolerable. A similar apparatus is described in WO 86/05153.
It is the object of the present invention to develop an apparatus of the kind mentioned above in such a way that a reliable and efficient cleaning of drive chains is enabled and this cleaning can be performed with little effort without any pollution of the environment with dirt.